Just So You Know
by Mako Blue
Summary: Future fic. Set in 2016 or 2020. Mikoshiba and Rin, together, on a rainy morning. (Posted under TrioMaxwell in AO3.)


Rin's internal alarm clock kicked him awake at five am. He groaned when he heard the rain drumming down on their roof and pulled his pillow over his head, quietly cursing under his breath.

Fuck. They had morning training scheduled, and they would have to leave in half an hour's time. The rain outside seemed to hear his thoughts and multiply its efforts to get in through the windows and walls, filling the air with a buzzing static that Rin could hear through the pillow. Dou~ble~ fuck. The weather promptly responded with happy flashes of lightning and rolling crashes of thunder.

Rin quested one hand blindly out to Seijuurou's side of the bed and found the covers pushed back, the sheets empty and cold.

Damn, he's up already. I'd better get my own arse out of bed too.

Rin reluctantly pushed away the covers and pulled himself up into a sitting position. He shivered, rubbing his arms through the long-sleeved flannel shirt he wore. Fuck, it was cold. He blew on his hands to warm them, then covered his mouth as he yawned. Mornings in April stood at about seven degrees Celsius but today, the air felt like January's winter. The rain now sounded more like hail as it came down. Rin moved to the edge of the bed, trying to will his body to move faster than the speed of 'slug'. It's alright, it's only water, he tried to convince himself, You're gonna get wet eventually anyway. (Fuck that, he groused. it's not so much the 'wet' I mind, it's the cold, and the soaked clothes/socks/shoes before we even get to the bus stop and the forty-five minute journey in wet clothes after that. Raincoats wouldn't even help.) The wind howled mournfully around the building, agreeing.

He squinted as he located Sei standing in the faint gray light from the window, face illuminated by the artificial light from the cell phone in his hand. A message?

Sei looked up from whatever text he was reading on the cell phone. "Go back to sleep," he said softly. "Training's cancelled."

Rin made a questioning sound, which if it had been words, would have translated to, "Really? For real?" Since it was not anything approaching words, it sounded more like the grunt/groan/mumble of a grumpy zombie rising out of its grave (which was a pretty accurate description, really).

Sei must've understood zombie-speak, because he said, "Yeah. Roads are flooded. Coach just texted us."

Oh. That was wonderful. Rin fell back onto the bed. Sleeping in was always a luxury and the shitty weather was now fucking perfect. Amazing, how perspective could change from negative to positive in two seconds flat. Let it rain, he thought, burrowing aggressively into the covers. Two heartbeats later, he cracked open an eye to check if Sei was returning to bed. He was still standing by the window, watching the patterns made by the rain as it beat down, his breath frosting the glass. Sei had always been tolerant of colder temperatures, but how the fuck could he just stand around shirtless in such cold weather for so long would always remain a mystery to Rin.

"Hey, aren't you cold?" He winced as his unused voice cracked trying to project itself over the rain, sounding unintentionally harsh.

Sei turned from the window and Rin heard the smile in his voice as he replied. "Yeah, I am."

"Come back here, you ass," Rin growled. "Before you freeze solid."

Sei chuckled as he padded over to the bed. As he slipped under the covers, he kissed Rin on the cheek and whispered into his ear, "I'm home."

"You're home." Rin's arms went around Sei. "Wargh~! You're freezing! How long have you been up?" he grumbled as he ran his hands up and down the chilled skin of Sei's back to warm him.

"Too long," Sei breathed, pulling him close.

Rin sighed blissfully into the hug. If Sei's hugs could be translated to language, they would say, "You're safe and you're mine." Rin always counted himself fortunate to be the recipient of such terrific hugs. Rin purred, and showed his approval by planting a row of kisses along Sei's jaw down the side of his neck. Yes, yes, hug me more.

Rin yelped and squirmed as Sei's hands slipped under his shirt. "Fuck, get out, your hands are cold," he complained, but he suffered Sei to use him as a personal heater while they continued exchanging slow, affectionate kisses and lazy gropes until it grew warm enough under the covers and Rin stopped threatening to kick him out of bed.

They spent a moment arranging themselves, Sei pulling Rin's arm to curve around his waist, then folding Rin into a loose circle of his now-warm arms. Rin rested his head on Sei's shoulder, felt warm breath riffling through his hair, listened to his heartbeat over the sound of the rain.

It must've been the fault of the cuddling and the memory of Sei's large, cold hands roaming teasingly up and down his back, that Rin couldn't go back to sleep. He lay awake, and idly tried to remember when he had last let himself relax in the moment, without worrying about past times or future trainings. Like they weren't hungry athletes, training together in the National swim team for a shot at Olympic gold. He rubbed his face against Sei's chest, relishing the feel of warm skin against his cheek. If he closed his eyes, he could pretend that the world was no wider than the bed they now shared, and that civilization had been washed away into nothingness by the cold, cold rain.

It would be okay, because the person who mattered most was here.

Rin blinked at the thought. Did Sei know that? If the world ended today in a watery apocalypse or a fiery one, would Sei have known how much he meant to Rin?

Rin propped himself up on one elbow. He studied Seijuurou's unguarded face from up close, tried to memorise how his eyelashes curved, the straight line of his nose with the slight upturn at the tip, the parted lips. He gently caressed Sei's left cheek with a finger, over the spot where a special dimple would appear whenever he smiled at Rin.

What he wouldn't give, to see his dimple now.

Sei turned his head slightly and kissed the roving finger, warm breath washing over his knuckles. "What is it?" He whispered, opening his eyes to look at Rin.

Rin was momentarily disarmed by Sei's direct regard. He buried his face in Seijuurou's neck, feeling a need to be closer than they were now, like it would help make himself understood. Just say it! he cried at himself. He pressed a kiss to Sei's pulse point, then looked up. "I love you," he whispered, staring into his lover's eyes. He cleared his throat, repeating himself. "I. Love. You." Sei blinked at him, clearly confused. "I'm glad... you're here, with me." He stumbled on, nearly choking on the words. "Just so you know, in case ,… you know. Thank you for being mine." His voice broke at the last and he nearly cried in frustration.

Why couldn't he say the most important words like he meant them? Teasing insults (but still harsh words all the same) rolled off his tongue so easily. Why did he always spoil the moment with his unstable feelings, his clumsy sentiments?

Sei looked at Rin, surprised at the sudden distress contained in his bowed head, the tense shoulders and clenched fists trembling on his chest. He pulled Rin up and held him close. "Oh, Rin," he breathed. "Thank you."

Rin's eyes widened. Sei was thanking him?

Sei's hand gently curled under Rin's chin to tip his face up to the light. "Thank you." He repeated, his hand moving to gently thumb away the unshed tears brimming in Rin's eyes. "Hey now, sunshine, don't let it rain indoors."

Rin hissed in aggravation, because Sei was the bloody sun, while he was the fucking rain, because the alternative was to start crying in earnest, an action totally unhelpful in coming up with a coherent reply. He was crying anyway, he realized, and angrily wiped the tears away with the back of his hand. He was trying to be serious here!

Sei laughed, the infuriating man. "I love you too."

(Sei pulled him down for a kiss on his forehead.) "Yes, I know. I love you."

(A kiss on his cheek.) "And just so you know, I'll love you..."

(A long lingering kiss on his lips) "Always."

**End**

Notes:

From thunderdownongreenside:

note to self don't think about your otp curled up together in bed, legs and arms all tangled together between blankets to fight off the cold and listening to the sound of rain and each other's breathing, faces buried in tangles of hair or against the other's chest/neck and pressing little kisses against their cheek or their shoulder or their neck and mumbling about how lucky they are to have the other because you will get feelings and then cry

Source: capablemajor

#Shoot #Trio-san help #Mikorin #Datesana #feels gdi

Tadah~~~ Just so you know… =)

(PS: I posted this as 'TrioMaxwell' at AO3.)


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